New PA 14 owner here. I do alot of bassfishing between spring and fall in California but in the winter time i do alot of duck hunting and trolling for trout. I notice that alot of people here fish in the colder months.

My question is how do you guys lauch? i noticed alot of guys in videos will actually wade their kayak into the water and then get on. Do you use waders in the winter? if so do you then remove the foot straps from the pedals and just peddle unstrapped with your wading boots on?

I have a Hobie Trailex trailer to store, carry and launch my PA-14.When entering my PA, I usually are in about 12" of water......standing next to it, with the bow pointing away from the shore.....I just place 1 foot inside the PA, one hand holding on to the arm rest of the seat and push off/enter/sit down all in one motion......engage the rudder and install the mirage drive IF there is enough water depth below the PA....otherwise, use the paddle to reach deeper water and then install the Mirage drive.

This link will show you what Roadrunner did making heel straps...... viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49343I did a similar mod using 1" wide NRS nylon tie down strap material.It makes a real difference pedaling with your heels resting in the straps as long as you are not in the habit of pulling back on the existing straps to get more power to the Mirage drive.Since I troll, pulling back is of no advantage to me as my speed of 1.5 to 2.0 mph is easy to do.

I wear a pair of thin, breathable waders in the winter. I wear the ones with the neoprene sock feet, and wear a pair of those cheap swimming pool shoes over the sock feet, for traction on land. Also these shoes will fit in the Mirage Drive straps, like any other pair of water shoes would. I used this setup with favorable results this past winter here in South Carolina.

Thanks for the tips guys, that is pretty much what i was thinking. As i do alot of fly fishing out here anyway i have a nice pair of light weight waders. I am glad to see someone got rid of the peddle straps and didnt miss them a bit but I will likely try the heel strap modification as that sounds about as comfy as you can get with full foot support.

Cheers! I will try to get some shots of it on its maiden voyage and post them up. Heading out to Pyramid lake in Nevada for 2 days this weekend. I just wish my geartrac would get here by then, looks like ill be holding my rod while trolling!

I wear a pair of launch socks made by Kokatat. They are waterproof and have a drawstring that's just above my knee, so I can wear them over my pants and dry socks. I then wear a pair of water shoes over the launch socks. This way I can wade into the water and then climb into my PA14 once I can use my Mirage Drive just like when the water is warm. I don't even have to adjust my peddle straps using this method as my shoes are the same winter or summer. Once in the boat I can leave the launch socks on or remove them until I am ready to return to shore.

I use hip boots in the winter to keep my feet dry. The boots fit the straps without adjustments. I will in real cold weather (35 degrees) where wadders for the extra warmth. The bigger boots will let me wear wool socks too. Still the straps do not need to be adjusted.

Thanks for all of the information. We do regularly fish in temps colder than 30. in the winter where we fish the temps can be as low as 15 at sunrise. Sounds like the waders will be the way to go. or the wading socks over a large number of layered wool socks.

Surprised nobody has mentioned a drysuit! Check out Kokatat goretex angler suits. You layer on whatever you need to stay warm in a complete imersion situation, put the drysuit on top, and head out fully protected and totally dry. I use this with NRS Cross-4 neoprene bootie, neoprene gloves and Kokatat fleece+neoprene balaclava for head and face protection. Thus equipped, I have been out on Lk Michigan in late Feb and early March, paddling around ice floes and fighting with iced reels and lines, but warm and dry. And the nice thing is that you can change the layering to make October & November comfortable as well. I have found my PA14 to be stable enough to change underlayers out on the water as conditions change.

I am in Central Florida and while we do not get freezing temperatures often, it can get cool enough that I need more than shorts. During warm weather I wear clogs on my feet (they float if I lost them in the water) and a bathing suit or shorts. During the colder months I wear rain pants that have a zipper up the bottom and diver's booties. The booties are neoprene and have a traction surface on the bottom to walk with. I pull the pants up to my knees and wade in a foot or so then board the yak. I pull the pants back down to my ankles so the drip from my paddle does not get me wet when not using the mirage drive. That gives me enough warmth on my legs without allowing me to get wet from the paddle dripping. I am concerned about falling overboard with waders on that may fill with water or cause trouble re-boarding the yak from the water.

As far as the boot straps go, I do not use them at all. I turned them around so they are on the back side of the pedal to make them available if I want them but out of the way the rest of the time. I do not like where they position my foot so with them this way I can put my foot on the pedal where it is most comfortable for me.

_________________PA12 DuneThat is why they calling it fishing and not catching.

I've used my PA off and on all winter long here in Colo when the lake near me is unfrozen. I have no problem jumping in my PA from shore at the boat ramp without waders. It's pretty easy to shove off from shore and not get any feet wet. I wear the same hiking boots I wear in the summer...never hardly get a drop of water on my boots! Obviously I wear a lot of layers to stay warm. I have warn my breathable Sims waders before in super wet conditions with a parka on top...and am pretty much covered from head to toe. No problem fitting my wading boots inside the pedal straps. Make sure to wear the best life jacket your budget can afford at all times!

I'm now in Northern Cali as well. I purchased the Kokatat Hydrus 3L paddling pants with attached socks and the matching Kokatat Tempest Paddling jacket after soon a ton of research online. There is a double skirt on the jacket and the inside skirt tucks ino the neoprene waist of the pants to make a semi drysuit. I still have to find a pair of boots as the Kokatat Nomad boots that are so popular on going up to a size 13 and that's just not big enough for my "skis"!! LOL